


Circle Back

by EssieScrawls



Series: You're Mine [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, M/M, Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:40:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23916202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EssieScrawls/pseuds/EssieScrawls
Summary: After his escape from Camelot, Merlin lives in the cave his father once did. All he wants to know is when he will be able to live his life with Arthur and forget about Uther.SEQUEL TO 'YOU'RE MINE'.
Series: You're Mine [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723918
Comments: 24
Kudos: 91





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the short sequel to my story 'You're Mine' (and yes, it has been 6 years since I've finished that story!)
> 
> Just to clarify; I talk in this chapter about Merlin's death, but readers of the You're Mine story know that Merlin faked his death… it's just easier to just say Merlin's death instead of fake death.

Merlin was heating up some porridge, slowly stirring it and drifting off into his own thoughts.

It has been three years since he escaped Camelot, escaped from _Uther._ He swallowed hard, after all those years it was still an uneasy feeling when he thought back at the time in Uther's grasp… he had no other way to describe it.

The moment he and Arthur arrived in Ealdor was a joyous occasion as he got to see his mother again and some old neighbours, but he knew he couldn't stay for long. If word got out to Uther that there been sighting of him, hell would break loose. Uther would start an investigation... no, not even. Uther would probably believe magic had been involved in a way to his supposed death, and probably thought he would have been taken away from him for whatever reason. Uther would go to the tomb and would find out soon enough it would be empty. He would immediately start a search party and probably killing a lot of people in his way just to get his rage down into tricking him for his consort's death.

And that was something Merlin wasn't going to let happen.

So, here he was. In the cave in Lot's Kingdom where his dad lived for all those years. Merlin felt it was kind of ironic; his dad used to hide there from Uther and now he has done the same for all those years.

The time in the cave was mostly a lonely time, but every Thursday would be the day he would wait the whole week for. It was the day that Arthur came to visit him and sometimes his mum would be there as well. Even after all those years they still had to thread carefully and he had a few scares in the past, because every time a horse or group wandered near-by he thought it would've been Uther.

Arthur told him about Uther's moods and how he changed after Merlin's death. He told him that Uther had been very cruel the very first year after his death and had been short-tempered. He had been executing people for no particular reason and Merlin felt horrible about that, because he knew it was because of him.

But the past year thing changed, according to Arthur's reports. Uther had been drawn more and more into himself and Arthur didn't know what exactly was happening. Maybe he finally snapped and faced the fact that he truly lost his spouse and he couldn't do anything about that. Arthur said that his grieving became a lot stronger and he stayed in his bed chambers more, but also went out riding at the most absurd times and sometimes staying out for days at end with no one knowing where he went. Some even said that he had travelled to other Kingdoms, including Lot's, as Arthur told him on one of his visits. When Merlin heard that news, he had been staying inside the cave for over a week. He was too scared to show any sign of life in that week, too scared that Uther would somehowfind him.

Meanwhile the court advisors in Camelot were agitated, they didn't know what was going on with the King and badgered Arthur to step in and rule the Kingdom now his father was unable to.

But Arthur refused most of the time. He only stepped in if there were threats or the likes from surrounding Kingdoms, but nothing more than that. He had made a promise to Merlin three years ago, and that promise was that he would only rule the Kingdom with him at his side.

Uther was still alive and so Merlin couldn't return to Camelot, even if every fiber in his body wanted to because he would be close to Arthur again. But he wouldn't, _couldn't_ , put everything they've worked for all these years on the line. They needed to wait until Uther's death.

A pop of the porridge made him snap out of his trip from memory lane and he got his plate to scoop some porridge on it. It tasted bland, but it was what he was used to. He had his freedom and that made everything better.

Once finished eating, he gathered everything up and went to the stream to wash everything. The cave wasn't the most luxurious thing ever, but he could understand why his father had chosen that spot. It had everything you need in close distance and far enough in the woods to barely being bothered by anyone.

Merlin smiled, it has been a while since he thought about his father. And even though they had only a few moments together, he valued them with his whole heart.

His smile dropped soon enough because he heard twigs snapping just a short distance from him. His hands let the plate slip out of them and his heart thundered against his chest.

It couldn't be Arthur.

It wasn't Thursday.


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin began to breathe heavy and his magic throbbed at his fingertips. He was ready to use it if he needed.

Slowly he backed off towards the entrance of the cave, maybe he would be in time to get away. He realized that the footsteps were getting closer and closer now, but he almost made it to the cave. There he would use a concealment spell at the entrance and wait until the surroundings were clear again.

Just a mere feet until he was there.

Just a few more –

Merlin yelped.

He hadn't realized he had been walking so close to the bank of the creek. He lost his footing and slipped into the creek, banging his head against a rock. He felt hands reaching out for him in the water and a figure standing above him, but that was the last thing he saw until his world darkened.

**~oOoOo~**

Merlin's eyes fluttered, he heard voices in the distance, but they sounded far away… too dull. His head hurt, he didn't know why.

_"Why won't he wake up!"_

_"I don't know, Sire."_

Merlin's eyes closed again.

**~oOoOo~**

A soft hand carded through his hair, it felt nice. Merlin breathed in deeply, contently.

"Gaius!"

The hand went away and Merlin scrunched his eyebrows together. _Don't go_ , he thought.

Just moments later a hand returned on his face, but this one felt different.

Merlin's eyes fluttered.

"Yes, Merlin. Come on, open your eyes."

And Merlin did. Slowly his eyes went open and the first thing he saw was red.

A red sky. No, not a sky, it was fabric and it seemed familiar.

Where has he seen it before?

His eyes closed again.

Moments later his eyes shot open, his breathing picking up and getting more and more erratic. He rose, but arms wrapped around him. Arms that he didn't want them there. He needed to get them off, needed to get away.

"No. No. Please, no." Merlin muttered.

The arms tightened around him. A voice shushing him, trying to calm him down. "You're alright, shh, shh, shh. Calm down, love."

The words got through his mind slowly, bit by bit they became more comprehensible. But he couldn't be _there,_ he couldn't be in Camelot. Gently he turned his head, gazing up into those bright eyes and his eyes teared up.

Gentle fingers wiped away the tears.

"Arthur," Merlin breathed out. "H-how?"

"Later," whispered Arthur. "Let Gaius examine you first."

Merlin's eyebrows knitted together. Examine him? He didn't had time for that, he needed to get the hell out of there… if Uther would find out. He nearly choked at that thought. "I can't - I can't stay." Merlin said, pushing against Arthur. "I need to get away." His eyes teared up some more. "How could you! How could you've brought me here, Arthur."

"Merlin, please. Your head."

"My head?" Merlin raised his hand, "What's wrong with my he-" he hissed when he touched the left side of his head.

"Gaius, please." Merlin heard Arthur beg and soon his familiar face swam into Merlin's vision.

"Merlin, just – just calm down." His old mentor said softly. "We'll explain everything, but not when you're in such state. Just, lie down."

Merlin didn't make any effort to move, he needed answers. What was going on?

Arthur instead made the choice for him and gently pressed him down on the matrass. Merlin's desperate and scared eyes sought his for any answer.

"Merlin," Arthur began, tenderly stroking his face and heaving a deep sigh. Merlin saw a myriad of emotion going through Arthur's eyes but couldn't quite pick the strongest one out.

"Merlin." There was another pause from Arthur.

After a deep sigh, Arthur finally answered.

"Uther's dying." 

That was the one thing Merlin didn't quite expect to leave Arthur's mouth. His eyes widened.


	3. Chapter 3

Merlin stared helplessly in front of him after hearing the news about Uther. Gaius and Arthur sneaked a glance at each other at which Gaius pushed a vial in Merlin's hand. "Here, drink this."

Merlin slowly came back from his daze, looking up from the comforter to his old friend and then eyeing the vial suspiciously. "Do I want to know what's in here?"

Probably not," Gaius said with a shrug. "But it'll make you feel better."

Merlin uncorked the glass bottle, drinking the liquid down in one go. It tasted horribly but the results were instant. His head throbbed less and he could focus more. Arthur sat down on the bed next to him, grabbing the vial out of his hands and placing it on the nightstand before reaching out to Merlin's hands and cradling them into his own.

"This wasn't how I wanted it to go." Arthur softly began before clearing his throat. "I went to the cave to look for you, I'm sorry I scared you." Arthur brought Merlin's hands up to leave a kiss on them.

Merlin lifted his head. "You did scare me. I wasn't expecting anyone, and wasn't expecting you. It wasn't Thursday."

"I know," Arthur answered with down casted eyes.

"Why didn't you send a message?"

"There wasn't time." Arthur answered. "And I needed to tell you in person. I couldn't risk anything going wrong now, not now everything is almost over."

Merlin was silent for a while and Arthur looked up to Gaius again.

"How?"

Arthur turned back to Merlin. "How, Merlin?"

Merlin cleared his throat. "What happened. To –"

He couldn't finish the sentence, couldn't say the name.

Arthur looked away, starting at the window. "He went out riding two days ago, it was one of those days again that he just packed up and went away on his horse. We didn't think any of it, as you know it was a common thing now."

Merlin lightly nodded his head.

"But then a group of patrolling guards found him, not far from the castle actually. Barely alive and he had quite some serious wounds. We gather he must've been thrown off his horse and after that being stepped on by the horse. He's in and out of consciousness and quite delirious at times, and,"

Arthur swallowed, debating with himself to say the next thing or not.

"And?" Merlin said.

Arthur swallowed. "And he keeps calling out your name." Arthur moved his head back to look at Merlin once more after feeling him tensing up. "But he can't get to you, not ever again. It's almost over."

Merlin sagged in relief against the pillows.

**~oOoOo~**

Merlin couldn't get any sleep. Arthur was passed out next to him on the bed, but he wasn't able to sleep even if he desperately wanted too. His mind kept going into circles. Uther was _dying_. How long he waited to hear those words. That man has ruined the past years of his life, ruined his chance to live happily with Arthur, made him run away of the life he used to love so much and made him hide in a cave where he feared for his life every day.

He couldn't wait for that man to leave his life for good, but he knew he also had to do something.

Something that scared him, but at the same time he knew he _had_ to do it if he was ever being able to move on from all of this.

Gently he raised the covers and slid his legs over the edge of the bed. He looked over his shoulder to see if it roused Arthur, because he knew Arthur would talk him out of it if he knew what he was about to do, perhaps even physically hold him back.

Only when he was certain that Arthur was still vast asleep he slipped off the bed and threw on some clothes before moving out of the room.

The hallways still looked the same and his memories flooded back like he'd never left. He knew which way to go.

The hallways were mostly dark, a few candles lit here and there. Peering out of the window he saw the moon high in the sky and he figured it must be late already, but he didn't care.

Just a few more turns to take and he knew he would be at Uther's bedchambers. His heart started to beat harder and faster with each step he took. He admitted to himself that he was petrified, he didn't want to face the person that made his life miserable, but he also knew he _needed to do it_.

Before he even realized it, he found himself in front of the door. He hand reached out to the handle but just lingered in the air for a few solid seconds. Merlin swallowed past the lump in his throat and took a deep breath in. He could do this.

His fingers flexed and slowly his fingers curled around the handle. He now just needed to find the courage within him to push the handle down.

But the handle went down and Merlin's eyes widened; he certainly wasn't the one doing it. He let go of the handle as if he just burned himself and stared wide-eyed as the door opened. It couldn't be Uther, Arthur himself told him he wasn't able to stand.

Merlin shuffled back slowly. His breathing picked up with every inch that the door opened more and then his breath hitched as he saw the one coming out of the room.

"Jonathan!"

Merlin flew his former manservant around his neck and the poor man's eyes opened wide at being caught off guard.

"Merlin," Jon breathed out, wrapping his arms around the other man in a warm hug. "It's been so long."

Merlin released Jonathan and stood back a bit, he looked around to see if that bench still stood where he last seen it all those years ago and when he saw it was there, he gestured to it.

Both men sat down.

"I've heard the other servants already gossiping about your return and I went to see you, but both Gaius and Arthur said it wasn't a good time because of," Jonathan gestured to the bandage still wrapped around Merlin's head. "but I was happy to hear you were back again. That must mean you've heard about –" Jonathan's eyes went to the doors of Uther's bedchamber.

Merlin's eyes followed his and then he gazed to the ground, his fingers fidgeting in each other. "I actually didn't know until I came here."

Jonathan frowned.

Merlin gave a light chuckle. "I'm still as clumsy as I've always been," he pointed to the bandage. "This is because I heard someone approach me at the cave, and I was always alert at the cave, so when I backed away I slipped and," Merlin shrugged. "The rest is history."

"Oh," Jon said.

"I only heard about, about," Merlin breathed a deep sigh. "About Uther when I woke up."

Jonathan nodded sympathetically, but then frowned. "But why were you going to," he waved to door. "You shouldn't, Merlin. Please."

Merlin reached out to catch one of Jonathan's hand. "It's something I must do. I need to face him, because I need to get some closure. And going to him is the only way I can get that."

Jonathan bit his lip. He was always the one to find Merlin in a defeated position whenever Uther had his way. He wanted to prevent his friend of going through that ever again, but he also could understand Merlin's reason.

Jon exhaled. "I've just went in to replace the candles, he was – still then. Perhaps now is as good a time as any."

Merlin nodded, already standing up. He turned to his friend as he stood at the door. "Just, don't tell Arthur. I'll do it later."

Then Merlin opened the door and went inside.


	4. Chapter 4

Merlin stood with his back at the closed door for what seemed like hours but were only mere minutes. The room was candle lit here and there and he could see the bed and an outline of the person in it, but he didn't dare to come closer.

Not yet.

For the longest time he was debating with himself to just forget it and to go back in Arthur's bed, but the other side of him was reprimanding him. He now had the chance to face Uther, he should take it!

But just being in this room made Merlin jittery. Tentatively, Merlin took step forward. He kept his eyes trained on the bed, ready for any sudden movements. For now he just saw the cover going up and down with each breath Uther took.

And then he stood next to the bed, his eyes laid onto Uther's face and anger shot through him. But the angry feeling wasn't for long; every emotion he felt during the time he spent in this room when he was in Uther's grip came rushing back into him and he choked, kneeling down on the ground and finally letting the tears fall that he had been fending off the moment he set foot in the bedchamber.

 _"Merlin._ "

Merlin's breath caught in the back of his throat as he heard his name. He definitely heard his name. He wiped the tears away and cautiously looked up. Uther was tossing and turning with his head a few times until he laid still again. Merlin gingerly got up on his feet, his eyes never leaving Uther.

Uther kept mumbling; Merlin couldn't exactly figure out what he was saying. He could hear Uther saying his name from time to time, but he soon found out that Uther wasn't conscious. Well, Uther was not aware that he was right there at least.

He heaved a sigh of relief, but then bunched his hand into fist at the side of his body. He hated that Uther was still giving him some anxiety.

"I hate you." Merlin said, it was barely above a whisper.

It felt good though, to say it out loud. It was something he didn't dare to speak out when he was still in Camelot. He couldn't, not when Arthur's life was at stake. But that wasn't something he had to take into account now and he could already feel the magic bubbling inside him.

His hand raised.

Energy flashed through his body, his fingers tingled, and the irises of his eyes went from bright blue to a yellow hue.

He just had to let go now.

"Merlin, no!"

Merlin's head snapped to the side and he saw Arthur there, still dressed in his night shirt. Arthur quickly came to his side, grabbing him into a hug.

"Please, don't." Arthur begged.

Merlin fought himself out of Arthur's grip. "Why are you protecting him?"

"I'm not," Arthur said. "I'm protecting _you_."

Arthur breathed deeply in through his nose. "Merlin, I know you. You'll hate yourself for the rest of your life if you're going to kill him."

"I already hate myself," Merlin said with a raised voice.

Uther's eyes fluttered.

"Please, don't say that." Arthur answered, reaching out for Merlin again. This time Merlin let himself being held into Arthur's arms.

"This isn't the way." Arthur whispered into Merlin's hair. "Please, just come back to our room."

"I can't," Merlin replied, moving his head to Uther. "I need to get closure."

"This is not the way." Arthur said once more, his hand sliding down into Merlin's and slightly tugging it. Merlin looked down at the joined hands.

"Merlin."

Merlin frowned and stared up to Arthur, but it wasn't Arthur that said it and Arthur wasn't looking at him either; he was staring at the bed. Slowly Merlin turned his head and the wind was knocked out of him.

Icy grey eyes stared back at him.

Uther blinked sluggishly, his vision slightly focussing more and more. A smile crept on his face. "My love," he said hoarsely, trying to sit up but didn't quite succeed.

"Merlin," Uther said again, reaching a weak hand out.

Merlin flinched back and Arthur took a protective stance in front of him. He tried to push Merlin back, trying to get him out of the room but Merlin didn't budge. Arthur turned and saw a petrified look on Merlin's face, who was staring back at Uther. Arthur moved in Merlin's line of sight. "Go."

Merlin was like nailed to the ground, his feet suddenly refusing to move. He shook his head at Arthur.

Uther tried again to raise himself up some more, but when he bent his injured abdomen too much he cried out and then flopped back on the bed, his eyes closed again.

Arthur grabbed Merlin's arm and dragged him away from the room. He shut the door harshly and it made Merlin wince. "He can't get to you, Merlin. He can't. You saw that now, he's too weak."

Merlin shook his head in disbelieve.

"Let's go back to our room, Merlin." Arthur insisted more now and he pulled at Merlin's arm. Merlin took a glance around his shoulder, he needed to know that Uther wouldn't follow them. He had a small disbelieve at Arthur's words, he saw with his own eyes that Uther was awake.

His line of vision was quickly broken when Arthur rounded the corner and before he knew it he was in their own chambers again. Only when Merlin felt the soft bed under his legs he blinked and started to truly notice his surroundings. Arthur soon appeared in his vision and held up a vial with a clear concoction.

"You need to sleep, Merlin."

Merlin first shook his head.

"Merlin, please." Arthur begged and pushed the vial in front of him again. Merlin looked up and saw Arthur's desperate eyes and he finally nodded. His fingers reached out to the bottle and in one motion he emptied the contents.

Arthur waited until the draft did its work and when he saw Merlin's eyes drooping, he picked Merlin up and laid him down onto the bed, covering him with warm blanket. His fingers carded through the loose hairs above the bandage and he sighed.

He nearly got a heart attack when he woke up just earlier, only to find Merlin's side of the bed empty. There were a few scenarios going through his head and one of them was that Uther had taken him. Part of his mind was telling him that it couldn't be, the horse had shattered Uther's leg and stomped on his stomach. There was no way in hell he could get out of that bed. But Arthur's mind kept gnawing at him and he just knew that he needed to get to Uther's chambers and fast.

He wasn't a moment too soon. Once he stormed into Uther's room he saw Merlin standing with his arm raised and he just knew Merlin wanted to take revenge. But Arthur knew Merlin wouldn't be able to live with himself if he had gone through with it.

Arthur was also aware that Merlin would never be able to breathe freely if Uther was still alive. His father had been alive already longer than he or Gaius had thought he would be after the accident, and Arthur couldn't bear it any longer.

Arthur knew what he had to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one chapter left after this.


	5. Chapter 5

Merlin woke up from the noise.

Oh man, so much noise.

His head couldn't handle it.

Blinking he tried to make his vision straight, trying to find out where he was. Merlin reached a hand up to his forehead. Oh god his head really hurt.

His surroundings soon became clear and his hearing as well. The noise; it were the town bells. Merlin frowned as he looked out the window. Why would the bells ring? By the looks of it, it wasn't noon any time soon.

The door opened and Merlin pulled his head back to see who entered and he saw a tired looking Arthur who softly closed the door behind him.

As Arthur turned he saw Merlin sitting up at the bed and they shared a look between them before Arthur pulled his gaze away. "You're up." Arthur said as he reached to the tumbler to pour in some water. "How are you feeling?"

Merlin frowned. Arthur didn't sound like his usual self, he sounded… flat? His head be damned by hurting at every movement, but he needed to get to Arthur and so he slivered off the bed.

"What's wrong?" Merlin asked, laying down a gentle down on Arthur's arm. "Do you know why the bells are ringing?"

Arthur stared at the hand on his arm with a big sigh.

"You don't need to worry ever again." Arthur said, still sounding flat and taking a large swig of water. He put the cup down with a little too much force.

Merlin's eyebrows crinkled together and with his hand he pushed against Arthur's jaw, making him look at him. He slightly shook his head in confusion. "What do you mean? Why are you acting so different?"

Arthur stared into Merlin's eyes for a few seconds before getting distracted by the bells and he walked to the window. "Uther," Arthur breathed out and Merlin's confused look stayed plastered on his face.

"Uther?" Merlin repeated as he had walke up to Arthur and suddenly everything clicked in his head. The bells, they weren't signalling the time… they were bells to signal the time for mourning.

"Arthur," Merlin breathed out, reaching out for his love once more. "No, tell me you have nothing to do with this."

Arthur lifted his head with a long inhale of breath through his nose.

Merlin sharply breathed in. "No," he shook his head. "Arthur, what did you do?"

Arthur turned to Merlin, a soft and loving expression on his face. "I couldn't bear to see you in fear any longer. That _man_ had it coming, he didn't deserve to live, Merlin. It's over now, it's all over."

"It's really over?" Merlin mumbled, not quite believing it yet.

Before he knew it he was enveloped in a crushing hug and Merlin brought his arms around Arthur's back, holding him close. It must really be over now.

**~oOoOo~**

Arthur hadn't talked about what he'd done to Uther and it quite infuriated Merlin. He wanted to comfort the man, who was buried under a heavy burden. He could see it, he could _sense_ it. Arthur had just been saying to leave it, but Merlin somehow couldn't.

He had dropped it for now, but had been up the whole night as Arthur tossed and turned beside him. He was happy to be released from Uther and didn't had to fear of ever seeing Uther again, but he couldn't bear the sight of Arthur. He shouldn't have done what he'd done just because of him.

Merlin had been going to Gaius at night because his head kept pounding, he just didn't know it was because of his headwound or that it was his mind gnawing at him.

His old mentor gave him a pain relieving draft and then told him that it appeared that Uther had died as a result of his injuries, because he didn't suffer any other injuries, but Merlin didn't believe that for one second.

The next morning, he kept asking Arthur about it.

"Merlin," Arthur sighed. It was the day after his father died and the funeral would happen later that day and Arthur started to get dressed and had urged Merlin to do the same. "Why can't you leave it?"

Merlin hovered around him, hands wringing in each other. "I don't know. I still can't find peace."

Arthur sat down at a nearby chair. "What do you want me to say?"

"The truth." Merlin stated. "I need to know what you have done. Arthur I can see that the guilt is weighing you down."

"It's not guilt." Arthur mumbled. He looked into Merlin's eyes when the man crouched down, with his hands on his knees and his thumbs caressing the skin.

"Then tell me what's bothering you. I cannot bear to see you like this because of me."

Arthur sighed deeply, pulling the other man up and made him sit down on his lap. "You have done nothing wrong, understand that. I'm just feeling a little low. Even though I didn't see him as my father any more for all those years, I cannot deny the feeling that is telling me that he _was_. And the thing that weighed down on me is that both my parents are gone now, but that feeling will pass soon, I know. And I will be happy again because I still have you in my life." Arthur ended, reaching his hand to place it on Merlin's cheek and Merlin curled into the touch.

They sat in silence for a few moment, until Arthur broke it. "I did want to kill him myself."

Merlin sat a bit back, watching Arthur's face in confusion. "I thought –"

Arthur shook his head. "He was already gone when I came back into the room."

**~oOoOo~**

Arthur had been going alone to listen to Geoffrey of Monmouth to give Uther the final rites and then with a nod he signalled to the guards that Uther could be put in the family tomb.

He hurried back to his room to gather Merlin and they knew they had some explaining to do. The people of Camelot didn't know Merlin had been back yet. Most of them still believed he had died all those years prior. Arthur knew he had to properly explain the people of Camelot why they had chosen for this course of action.

The moment Arthur and Merlin had been coming into the throne room and sat down at the chairs, the murmurings started. A few people were shocked to see the former King Consort alive and well and didn't understand what was going on, while another group already heard the rumours since the day after Merlin was pronounced dead and that he was actually not, but they hadn't believed it until this very moment where they could see him.

"This is outrageous!" Lord Philip screamed suddenly. Arthur knew he was one of Uther's followers and wasn't too keen that he was the next King. "He's the one out great King went mad!" Lord Philip pointed his finger towards Merlin who suddenly felt very exposed.

Arthur not yet flew from his chair. "It'll be wise if you held your tongue."

Lord Philip huffed.

Arthur looked around him. "Yes, Lord Merlin is alive. He always has been. King Uther had been a cruel man during his life. He'd been forcing someone to love him, keeping him locked up as a pet, _threatening_ him and myself. I do not need to give you an explanation, any of you, but we are giving you one because we feel we need to." Arthur watched a group of Lords in the eye, the group of which he knew had been the most loyal to Uther. Some looked up defiantly, others looked away.

"And for any of those who won't agree that Lord Merlin is back can leave." Arthur stated, taking a second to see if anyone was going. "Now!"

A few Lords shuffled to the doors and Arthur looked at them with his head held high.

The other Lords had understood their reasoning though. They had seen their former ruler's influence when he had made Merlin his consort, and a lot of them knew it wasn't voluntary from Merlin's part as they knew the true feelings Merlin had were for the Prince. But they couldn't go against their King, it would be seen a treason for sure!

The rest of the council meeting luckily went well. Most people had come to forgive Merlin and Arthur for what they had done, some still needed some time to come to terms with it. Arthur simply reasoned that they could choose to follow him in his upcoming reign or were otherwise more than happy to leave.

**~oOoOo~**

It was a beautiful day and Merlin beamed. Jonathan was there to pass over some garments and he put them on.

It has been weeks since Arthur had addressed the council and afterwards the people about his sudden return, and now the moment had come that he and Arthur would be united in marriage. The day he hoped and longed for, for quite some time.

"You'll look great." Jon had stated, brushing away a few specks of dust from Merlin's shoulder. Jon himself asked Merlin if he could be his personal servant once more, he had missed the man. Merlin had said that he didn't need a servant, but Jonathan still insisted. And so it would be.

"Thanks Jon."

Merlin fidgeted a bit with the cuff of his sleeve, but Jon's hand on his made him stop. "Don't be nervous," Jonathan said, a smile forming on his lips. "You'll be fine, this is a happy moment, Merlin."

"I know. Let's go."

Both men walked down the hallway and up to the throne room. The doors were closed with guards standing next to them. The doors opened and trumpet sounds were heard. Merlin saw from the corner of his eyes a lot of people, but he only had eyes for one person in particular. Arthur.

His smiled beamed across the room and he couldn't wait to stand next to him. He could finally start this new chapter and his life and he was happy to do so. It hadn't been the easiest couple of weeks. Nightmares had plagued him for the first few days, but Arthur had been there to hold him and ease his mind. And he was grateful for that.

Merlin finally neared the first few row of seats and he had a radiating smile on his lips when he saw his mother there, and she smiled broadly back at him.

Then, at last, he could make his way up to the few steps and he held out his hand for Arthur to grab.

Geoffrey of Monmouth cleared his throat. "Lord and Ladies, today is a joyous occasion. Today these two men will be bound to one."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END.


End file.
